Green Country Living, Summer 2013

Green Country Living 1

Natural textures give this home an exotic feel

Summer 2013

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40Wonderful WineRefreshing summer cocktails and spicy peppers beat the heat in the summer.

46Gracious Me!Tips on how to console an ill or beareved friend.

contents

Call of the WildA fountain creates the focal point of the entryway garden of Cindy Teel and Barry Hoffman’s exotic home.

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23Historic HomeBudo and Sue Perry have completed renovations on their historic Fort Gibson home.

Designer’s Corner

&QAwith

Louise Cooper

Richards

44The Cook’s PantryA refreshing summer meal served in a historic home.

Satisfying SpacesA shrimp boil is the main dish for a poolside summer feast for the Bartley family.

32Desert DecorThe back porch of the Hill home provides a perfect place for Stan and Rena Hill to watch the sun rise.

Owner of Cooper’s Furniture

Q: How can I incorporate current trends into my existing rooms?

A: Furniture manufacturers put a lot of time and money into developing new products and styles that are something

different than the “tried and true.” Something new and different is what customers need to update their homes! Vehicles and technology — other industries, are constantly coming out with the newest and best and are constantly evolving as well. So, why shouldn’t you be able to put the newest furniture into your already existing room?

Q: Well how do I do that?

A: By being open in your decisions — be flexible, think forward; think outside of what you have. Do your homework

on the subject — look through magazines, watch HGTV, but most importantly go to a trusted local furniture store to see what is evolving in the industry. Ask — what are the newest colors and styles that will work with what I already have or what I am keeping in my room? Don’t be afraid of color. Finally, if you like a particular piece (such as a picture, table, lamp, etc.), think of three other places it can go in your home to help you with deciding on the purchase.


Natural textures give this home an exotic feel

Summer 2013

on the coverCover photo by Mandy Lundy

eDItorADVertISING SALeS

LAyout & DeSIGN

Jerry WillisAngela JacksonAmanda M. Burleson-Guthrie

Green Country Living is published quarterly by the Muskogee Phoenix. Contents of the magazine are by the Muskogee Phoenix. No part of this

publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record-

ing or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Muskogee Phoenix. Green Country Living, P.O. Box 1968, Muskogee OK 74402.

email [email protected] - Editorial: (918) 684-2932email [email protected] - Advertising and distribution:

(918) 684-2813

StAFF Issue 33

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Summer 2013

A stone see-through fireplace divides the Teel’s living and dining areas.

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This picture perfect home is easy to live in By Leilani Roberts Ott

The Perfect Family Home

Jocelyn Bartley calls it the “Father of the Bride” house. That’s the perfect family home where actor Steve Martin struggles

with letting his little girl get married in the movie. It is a Cape Cod style, white two-story with dormer windows. It’s complete with a white picket fence for this couple who has been married 13 years. The house looked perfect to Jocelyn and her husband, Justin, when they saw it three years ago. “I loved the Country Club area and wanted to build,” she said. “We wanted an open back yard on a dead end with trees, a pool and a pool house.” Justin wanted a building for

his contracting business, Legacy Construction. He’s worked with his father, builder Mike Bartley, doing custom trim work, and now has branched out on his own. This house, built by Cliff and Janice Cate in 1978, had it all. “There was so much charm on the outside we decided to chunk the plan to build,” she said. Once inside, they realized the home needed updating and had mold from a leak in the roof. They put in new insulation and rewired it. It took nine months to complete. “We took it down to the studs once we got into it,” Justin said. Justin the contractor and Jocelyn the interior designer put

their passions together to create their home for Bella, 10, and Perry, 4. “My biggest goal was for it to be family and kid friendly,” she said. “I like everything to have a story. My design philosophy is a home should feel collected and not decorated.” In the 3,600 square feet, they have four bedrooms and three and one-half baths. For Bella, the best part of the house is her suite with a private bath. “It’s awesome,” she said. Upstairs are Bella and Perry’s rooms and a guest bedroom. Bella’s room is white, pink and mint green. Her closet has pink leopard wallpaper. Out her window topped with pink and

green Roman shades is a tulip tree. “It’s like living in a treehouse,” Jocelyn said to Bella. Perry’s bedroom is decorated in red, white and blue plaid. He has a large closet used as a play space. Both bedrooms have window seats in the dormer windows. Bella and Perry also like the treehouse in the backyard that was there waiting for them and the pool. Inside the treehouse, Bella said they like to play house. Some of the bigger changes in the home’s floor plan was opening the staircase to a 16-foot foyer, making two bedrooms upstairs into one for


Bella and adding a hall bath for Perry. “I wanted light and airy,” Jocelyn said of the foyer. “It felt like a cave before.” The brick floor in the TV/playroom is about the only thing left of the original plan. The room offers a view of the pool, pool house and treehouse from large windows. The flooring in the living room and dining room is an Armstrong laminate that looks like vintage worn wood. The kitchen and bath flooring are travertine. Stained concrete is the office floor, just off the master. Most of the walls are painted Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque. Wooden beams were added to the dining room ceiling. Jocelyn wanted a table made of old wood in the dining room, which Justin built. It doesn’t match the formal French carved buffet with inlay wood and she likes it

Left: Jocelyn and Justin Bartley’s home is sur-rounded by azaleas and spring greenery earlier this year.

Above: Perry and Bella Bartley play in the tree house in their backyard.

Below: The pool and pool house are the centerpieces for sum-mer fun in the Bartley’s backyard.

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Clockwise this page: Jocelyn Bartley has a cozy fireplace in the office she works in at their home.

Jocelyn Bartley says her design philosophy is that a home should feel collected, not decorated.

The Bartley living room opens into a large sunroom overlooking the pool.


that way. They found the buffet at the Haskell Auction. An iron chandelier from Justin’s mother, Debbie Bartley, hangs in the room. “I love vintage stuff, love heirloom and family things. I want a home to feel warm,” Jocelyn said. They opened the bar area in the living room and added space for family board games. A sea-colored vessel glass sink is set in the granite countertop. Everyone likes to talk about the golf glasses at the bar. Jocelyn found the clear glasses with print on them at Golden Rule. They read “Women’s Open — 1970 Muskogee, Okla. Courtesy of Brockway Glass Co.” “I love that about junking or antiquing,” she said. She got that from her mother, Margaret Perry, who has a shop in Sallisaw called “Alley & Elm.” “We find the neat things and give them new life,” she said. One of her favorite pieces is a tiered server that was “gold and gaudy.” Her mother and an aunt redid it. They painted it a soft green and hung crystals from Jocelyn’s grandmother’s chandelier on it. “It’s one of the pieces I’ll have forever,” she said. Other pieces around the home that will always have a place are Bella’s artwork like a papier mache vase in the TV room and floral paintings in the living room made in a class with local artist Louise Bishop. Some of the framed artwork is from Jocelyn’s grandmother’s house. In the kitchen, the original knotty pine cabinets went to Justin’s shop and new cabinets painted Pratt and Lambert Contemplation, a soft green, were built topped with granite countertops. The appliances are stainless steel. A brick alcove frames the cooktop. A sitting area was added near the window facing the front of the house. On the other side of the house is the master suite and

Below: The kitchen cabinets are painted a soft green and have granite counter-tops. The appliances are stainless steel and a brick alcove frames the cooktop.

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Below:The dining room table is a custom piece built by Justin Bartley from old wood.

Photos by Jerry Willis

office with built-in bookshelves and a fireplace. The clock on the shelves was her grandmother’s. It is mixed with collectible books and plates. She spends time in the office for her business, Jocelyn Bartley Design Co. She was employed for six years with

Kathy Hall, owner of Window Designs. The desk was her uncle’s, complete with burn marks from where he smoked. “It’s important to have pieces in my home that are passed from family.”

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Above: The master suite features an iron bed surround-ed by built-in bookshelves.

Right: The stone fireplace serves as the focal point for one wall of the living room.

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Animal prints and natural tones give this home an exotic feel By Leilani Roberts Ott

Exotic Living

Cindy Teel met her husband Barry Hoffman on match.com only six months before

they married in June 2012. He lived in Granite Bay, Calif., and she lived in the Country Club area of Muskogee. He owns a home in Moore and has rental property in the Oklahoma City area because the demographics show more people in Oklahoma rent than own a home, he said. Cindy is a top real estate agent. It seemed like the perfect match.

Before Barry came to visit, Cindy told him she lived in a “country house.” She didn’t think it would be nearly as nice as what the retired prosthodontist from the Greater Sacramento, Calif., area would be used to. He described it as a “high-end community.” He also has traveled while spending 20 years in the U.S. Navy, 16 years in group practice and two years lecturing for Denstply Implants. He’s already taken Cindy to New York to see where he was born. They plan to do more traveling.

Cindy was a little nervous about how he would feel about living in her home. Outside, the house in the River Bend addition has brick and stacked stone and is nicely landscaped with green bushes and plants, and red roses. When the iron front doors opened, Barry was amazed. “Walking in the door I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ My eyes went to the ceiling,” Barry said. The 25-foot ceiling has knotty alder beams. A see-through fireplace is made of blended stones in different

sizes that reach to the ceiling. The distressed pine floors came from Edgar Mercado of Tulsa. Travertine flooring is in the laundry room and baths. Terry Swanner of Green Country Painting in Fort Gibson painted her home. Teel knows what she wants when building a house — lots of windows and hard-surfaced floors, because they are cleaner. She’s built seven houses and remodeled several more. She built this one four years ago. She and Barry plan to build a home together eventually. Cindy

The front entry to the Teel home.


would like to have a house with a courtyard in the center and a house that sits up high on a hill. “I think we would enjoy the creative process,” he said. They added on to the back of the 3,500-square-foot home when they married, doubling the size of the master suite. Louie Slape built the space for Barry to have an office with desk, sofa and TV. There are large wooden shutters made into doors between the two rooms that allow Cindy to lie in bed and watch her favorite TV shows on her TV while Barry watches his from the sofa in his office, giving each of them privacy. He has photos of his father, who was a dentist in New York, and other collectibles. The furniture is “eclectic,” Teel said. She’s had many of her large

furniture pieces for years. Barry brought a few of his favorites to the home like a koa coffee table from Hawaii. The only new furniture they’ve bought is a bedroom group for the master from Restoration Hardware in Tulsa. The master bath has an oval tub with alder wood cabinets. Built-in shelves hold antique head vases that Cindy has collected. In other parts of her home are her collections of flow blue dishes, and Hull and Roseville pottery. In the mix of leather embossed sofas and animal skin chairs in the living room is a water buffalo mount Cindy got from Roy and Billie Flinn, who owned Tony’s for the Outdoors. It was in their business. The black bear mount was a thank you gift from John Hill to Cindy

The front entry to the Teel home.

A decorative wine glass cabinet faces the living area.

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Clockwise both pages: A chandelier hangs over the breakfast nook just off of the kitchen.

An antler chandelier hangs over the Teel’s formal dining area.

The master bedroom opens up to a cozy den.

Exotic prints and ani-mal decor accent the entire home.

The kitchen features beautiful granite coun-tertops.

Photos by Mandy Lundy


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Clockwise both pages: Cindy Teel and Barry Hoffman with their pet Zoe.

Rich black decor accents the powder room.

Zoe sits at the foot of the master bed.

The home features a beautiful covered patio with a built-in gas grill and plenty of room for entertaining.

for being such a great Realtor. One of Cindy’s favorite things in her home is a buffalo painting hanging on the fireplace. It was done by the late Roger Davis. He had painted a buffalo for her son, Christopher Teel of Tulsa, and she loved it so much she asked Davis to do one for her. Nearby is the country French

dining table that came from a mansion in Chicago. A 6-foot mirror and a few other furniture pieces came from Harold’s Clothing in Tulsa. Across the room is a door to Cindy’s mother’s suite. Jerry Baker has a living area, bedroom and her own bath. At the end of a short hall is another bedroom

that Cindy is going to redo for her first grandchild, Zadie Beth, 8 months, daughter of Christopher and Katie Teel. The kitchen has stormy night granite counters and knotty alder cabinets. The bar stool seats are crocodile skin from Thayer Upholstery in Muskogee. Off the back of the living

room is the outdoor kitchen with a gas fireplace and water feature with stacked rocks created by Thomas Torrez Landscaping of Muskogee. There’s a porch swing at one end of the long covered patio. At the other is a bar and sink. “We eat out here almost every night,” Cindy said. 2


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Swon Brothers Watch PartyPhotos by Mandy Lundy

SceneandBe Seen

Party in the ParkPhotos by Mandy Lundy


SceneandBe Seen

Classical Native StarsMusic lovers met Classic Native Stars during a VIP Reception May 17 at 301 W. Broadway. The stars performed operatic arias, Broadway tunes, even Cherokee lullabies at a concert on May 18.

Photos by John Hasler

Manual training reunionThe all-black schools of segregation days were cel-ebrated in the Mammoth Reunion of Muskogee’s Manual Training School on Memorial Day week-end. Manual Training’s first graduating class was in 1908, the last in 1970.


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Symphony in the ParkAttendees at Symphony in the Park on June 1 were treated to the Muskogee Community Band playing music from John Philip Sousa, followed by a jazz band performance. The jazz band, made up of area volunteer musicians, performed under the direc-tion of Assistant Muskogee High School Band Direc-tor Bruce Thompson.


Mud VolleyballtournamentTeams had good, clean fun getting dirty June 8 at Mudstock 2013, the an-nual mud volleyball tour-nament, to raise money for Muskogee County Council of Youth Services (MC-COYS) and Women in Safe Home Inc.


SceneandBe Seen


Budo and Sue Perry’s home is steeped in history, and the 119-year-old house stands in pristine

condition thanks to extensive remodeling and repairs done over the last three years. The couple, who will soon celebrate their 50th anniversary, said they’re done remodeling for good. “The only thing I lack now is one doorbell, and I can live

The Perry home is steeped in history, but features modern comforts By Wendy Burton

Historic Homesteadwithout a doorbell,” Sue said, laughing, and looking around her modern kitchen with a smile. A lot of time and money went into the couple’s home, they said. Nonetheless, the couple is proud of the work they’ve had done by Louis Mosteller of Fort Gibson in their 4,300-square-foot historical home. The Perry’s home was built in 1894 and was the home of

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief William Potter Ross, who was chief twice, once for nearly a year after the death of his uncle, Principal Chief John Ross, in 1866 and then again from 1872 to 1875. William Potter Ross also was a mayor of Fort Gibson, a senator in the Cherokee Nation, a teacher, lawyer, merchant and editor of the first newspaper in Oklahoma and publisher of several more.

Budo’s sister Eleanor Walls researched the home’s history extensively, even writing a thesis paper on it, the couple said. According to Walls’ research, the farm was originally purchased by the Ross family in 1846 for $500. They built a one-story log house, which stood in what is now the home’s garden. The “big house” owned by the Perrys today was built a few years after Ross’ death by his

Budo and Sue Perry have completed exten-sive renovations to their 119-year-old home.


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widow. It was paid for by “head money” each Native American received from the federal government after the Civil War, Walls wrote. When the house was first built, it was brown clapboard with a shingle roof. There was no electricity and no plumbing, and it had three porches and a white picket fence surrounding the house. The family was only able to afford one staircase, so it faced the back of the house because “Mrs. Ross was such an aristocrat that she could not tolerate the chamber pot being carried down to the front door,” Walls wrote. Today, the staircase faces the front door. The Gray family who built the home in 1945 added plumbing, carpeting, bathrooms and modernized the kitchen. They reversed the staircase, and they salvaged the rock mantel from the original log cabin and built a rock fireplace around it in one of the home’s living areas. Budo Perry’s parents purchased the home in 1959, when Budo was 16 years old, he said. They again rebuilt the kitchen, enclosed the back

porch and added vinyl siding and central heat and air. Over the last three years, Budo and Sue have enclosed a sunroom, added a laundry room, a new master suite and completely remodeled the kitchen. “We turned Louis (Mosteller) loose in here, let him pick all the paint colors and everything,” Budo said, standing in the home’s elegant dining room, which features a tremendous dining table and buffet from Brazil, where the couple lived for four years early in their marriage. “He chose only historically accurate paint colors, and he installed this wainscoting back to the way it would have been, 5-feet high with a picture ledge,” Budo said, pointing out the white woodwork in the dining room. All of the windows and the woodwork around doors and windows have been replaced, plus the crown molding is new. Sue said the new kitchen is a huge change from the old and perfect for entertaining, which she loves to do. Walls found during her research that the kitchen originally had only a large, black wood cookstove and three

wooden work tables. When the kitchen belonged to Budo’s mother, it featured a washer and dryer on the back wall too. The stove was set in a small center island, and there were windows overlooking a porch.

Today’s kitchen features stainless steel appliances and cabinets and an island custom built by Mosteller. The island, about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, features a huge wooden plank for the top with a second sink and seating


Clockwise both pages: The kitchen in the Perry home includes stainless steel appliances and a custom-built island, about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, with a huge wooden plank for the work surface.

Budo and Sue Perry say they are done with remodeling their historic home. The couple will celebrate 50 years together soon.

The trim and crown molding throughout the Perry home have been updated, but remain true to the historic feel of the home.

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along one side, drawers and cabinets underneath. All the cabinets and drawers are painted in a light color and sanded to create a distressed look. “These are so smooth,” Budo said, running his hand along a cabinet. “And I love the distressed look.” Back when Ross’ wife Mary was the lady of the house, its pine floors were “covered with straw mats in the summer and Brussels carpets in the winter. The walls are plaster covered with paper,” Walls wrote about the house. Today, the house features new wood floors, ceramic tile and little carpeting. Walls wrote that the parlor ceiling historically featured a large medallion with a kerosene chandelier. At Christmas the

chandelier was removed and a Christmas tree was hung from the medallion. Today’s dining room features a ceiling medallion and beautiful chandelier. During the last three years, the Perrys have added another living area off the kitchen, a master suite behind the kitchen, a laundry room and more. Most of the added amenities were worked into existing spaces, such as breezeways and a sun porch. The master bedroom, however, is an add-on and features a large master bath with a walk-in tile shower, which is built to accommodate a wheelchair if the need should ever arise in the couple’s golden years, they said. Outside of the couple’s home is the farm Budo’s parents


Clockwise both pages: The table and buffet in the Perry home came from Brazil, where the couple lived early in their marriage.

The table in the living room is built from a cart wheel and axle that came from Brazil.

This fireplace in the sitting room off the main entrance was faced in native stone in the ‘40s. It is one of four original to the home.

When Budo and Sue Perry replaced the windows in their home, Sue kept some of the old frames for use as display accents, including one above the bed in the master bedroom.

operated to make their living. The Perrys continue to operate the farm, growing mostly wheat and soybeans, Budo said. Where the farm well house stands is the property’s original well, from which the Perrys continue to get water. The rock that once surrounded the well is gone and the buckets and windlass that once brought up water are gone too. A modern pump brings the water up today. But rumor and legend continue to surround the well. “Supposedly, three presidents drank from this well,” Budo said. “U.S. President Zachary Taylor; Jefferson Davis,

president of the Confederacy and Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas.” All three men were once stationed at Fort Gibson, not far from the house. Called by some “the well at the end of the Trail of Tears,” it also was rumored that Jesse James once drank its waters. And legend has it that “whoever even once drank of its waters would someday, somehow, before he died, return and drink again out of the oaken bucket,” according to “Tales of Old Fort Gibson,” a 1961 book authored by Joseph Quayle Bristow, who visited the Ross homestead near the turn of the century. 2

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A desert retreat in green country By Leilani Roberts Ott

Southwest Style

Every day is a vacation day when Stan and Rena Hill drive up the winding country

road to their home on the hill ... in Oktaha. “We brought Santa Fe here,” Rena said. Her parents grew up in west Texas and eastern New Mexico, so she’s seen plenty of Southwest-style homes. She and Stan have visited Santa Fe many times and liked the look of the homes there. “We love it out there,”

Rena said. “Southwest is really relaxing.” They were redoing and expanding the inside of their home, originally built in 1988, and decided to do a makeover on the outside, too. Their house on 69 acres has been transformed from a ranch style to a Southwest adobe style. They’ve lived on the land since 1978, building up the road in 1983. Their sons, Clinton and Brandon, grew and they needed more room. Their home was originally 2,400 square feet and is now 3,400 square feet.

Stan said they started the remodeling project in 2004 and just lack finishing the breezeway. “We did every bit of it,” he said. “We hired guys for a week to frame the roof.” They also got help from family and friends when pouring the concrete for the courtyard wall. Stan did the iron work on the gates going into the courtyard. “I can do about anything, but I can’t sing and I never tried brain surgery,” he said and laughed.

Walking into the courtyard, guests feel like they have traveled far away from Oklahoma. There are several cactus plants mixed with red yuccas, knockout roses, Indian blankets, sage, lavender, red hot pokers and more. Cacti grow just fine in the garden. Rena elevates them so water drains off. In the center of the garden is a water fountain adding to the calm feeling. A chiminea is in one corner for lighting a fire on a cold night. The porch floor is scored and stained concrete. “We’re on the porch in the


mornings and on weekends,” she said. They work as owners of Hill Commercial Glass. Inside, the home has a Western flair. The Hills have had cattle and grew up riding horses. Rena calls their style “Southwestern.” That’s a combination of Southwest and Western, she said. There’s a 100-year-old saddle given

to them by a friend in the foyer near the lodge pole pine staircase that goes down to the basement bedroom and bath. They didn’t do much remodeling although they did knock out a wall to make the two bedrooms one large space. It’s where their grandsons, Weston, Levi and Jesse, and others like to go to play or hang out. It’s also their safe place for

Left: The enclosed courtyard on the front of the home was landscaped by the Hills themselves.

Above: A saddle graces the entryway and the opening to the staircase below.

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Clockwise this page: Even the laundry room has it’s share of rustic decor.

A clothesline holds Rena’s childhood clothes over her washer and dryer.

The kitchen of the Hill home is furnished with custom cabinets crafted by Stan Hill.


Photos by Mandy Lundy

family like Clinton and his wife, Renee, and the boys, who live nearby, when there is a threat of tornados. On the ground floor is the living room where the walls are painted Navajo white with a gold glaze. Rena did the stucco walls and the painting. The eye is drawn to the red sofa against the wall. “That’s my diamond ring for our 40th anniversary,” Rena said. Stan offered her a ring and she chose the sofa and loves it. They found it and other items in the home at an auction. Rena’s aunt, Judy Butler of Oktaha, made the cowhide pillows for the sofa. An oval wooden table has had its legs cut down to be a coffee table. There are brown leather chairs, and a jelly cupboard they found at the Haskell Auction, Rena repainted. “I got that rawhide rocker before my first grandson was born,” she said. Tooled leather shades are on the lamps, and other Western decor she found at Country Boy in Warner. Son Brandon Hill, who lives in Dallas with companion Matt Ruskey, took the black and white photo of Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. It hangs above the fireplace added with gas logs during the remodel. The guest bath has a wooden chest they found. Stan cut out a hole for the sink. When the sun hit it just right the words on

the back read “Mrs. Tinkersley purchased new in 1883 in Illinois.” Rena sat old medicine bottles they’ve found on their land in the window. “We took a metal detector to the old house place and found a pickup load of bottles — no coins,” Stan said. Wooden planks frame the doorway between the dining room and the living room. They have the family’s registered cattle brands burned in them. “We’ve moved those boards three times,” she said. There are old family photos of both families all through the house including a wall of black-and-white photos in the dining room. There’s a photo of grandparents from several generations along with the rest of the family. Stan and Rena have a story to tell about each photo. “We both have big families and are real family-oriented,” Rena said. “Family portraits are a weakness of mine. I love them.” Stan likes to tell the story of the window he inset in the wall in the kitchen. “It’s from grandpa C.C. Hill’s chicken house,” Stan said. “He sold eggs in the Depression and retirement.”

Top: Homemade cherry limeade sits atop the kitchen counter.

Right: Colorful glass jars brighten the window of the hallway bath.

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Left: The master bath features a clawfoot tub with a view to the east.

Below: Cowhide accents the master bedroom.


Above: Stan and Rena Hill enjoy a cool drink on the front steps of their home.

Right: French doors open up to an office off the hallway.

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Rena seems most proud of her new kitchen that is twice its original size with a large bar in the center. They also raised the ceiling and built new cabinets. “We’ve had 25 to 40 people here and it works great,” she said. At the back of the kitchen are doors to the deck offering a magnificent view of the rolling countryside. The Keefeton water tower is to the east, the lights of Connors State College in Warner to the south, and the south side of Davis Field in Muskogee is to the north. In the distance they also can see the Muskogee Turnpike at Webbers Falls and Braggs Mountain. From the front door to the left is Rena’s office with a ceiling too low for tall Stan. She’s got built-in bookshelves, a desk and her “cowgirl wall.” Photos of cowgirls like Vivian White Dillard, a trick rider, and Betty Roper, a champion barrel racer. A rope is nailed on the wall framing the group of photos. At the end of the hall is the master suite with a bed covered in cowhide that they found in a feed store in Clinton, Ark. Cowhide also covers an old rocker. “The sunrise is spectacular,” Rena said. “The best view in the house is from the clawfoot tub (in the master bath).” Stan added that the house offers a “view from every room.” “We feel very blessed,” Rena said. The master bath has a dresser Rena found in the top story of Grandpa Hill’s house. “I spent a summer redoing it,” she said. “It was the first piece of new furniture they bought. I like stuff that belonged to other people. It makes me feel connected.” The laundry room is the size of an average bedroom. It has a wall of Rena’s baby clothes her mother, Patsy Fulton, saved. Another wall holds artwork by Stan’s mother, Joan Hill. The

old wringer washing machine and wash tubs belonged to Stan’s “Grandma Hill.”

They are proud of their Santa Fe home and enjoy having family over.

“We enjoy working together,” Rena said. “If I can think it, he can do it.” 2

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By Valarie CarterWonderful Wine

Cocktails & Peppers: Two Great Ways to beat the Summer Heat

food & drink

It might seem counterintuitive to eat hot and spicy food in the summertime, but natives to tropical and

hot regions have been doing it since the beginning of time to keep cool. Eating spicy foods

such as curries, jerks, steaming bowls of fiery soup, and other preparations abundant with chilies help to cool us down. The chilies in these dishes increase blood flow, and they make us sweat so when the breeze hits: instant air

conditioner. A bonus to eating hot foods is that it releases feel-good endorphins so that you won’t care that you’re all sweaty. I suppose the same principle could apply to spicy wines. Zinfandels and other spicy red wines are great in the winter to help warm us up but also pair well with the foods of summer like barbecue and all your grilled favorites. Here are a few of my favorites. Try pairing your newfound zin with grilled meats and roasted corn and pablano salad.

Roasted corn and pablano

salad6 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and rinsed2 pablanos1 pint cherry or pear tomatoes, halved1 small red onion, peeled and cut in half through the root end¹/₂ cup queso fresco or feta cheese1.5 cups prepared grain such as quinoa, brown rice or cracked wheat*2 cloves garlic, peeled Juice of one lime2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

¹/₃ cup olive oilA couple of dashes of your favorite hot sauce like Cholula 1 teaspoon sugar¹/₄ teaspoon cumin¹/₂ teaspoon chile powder¹/₂ bunch cilantro, torn Salt and pepper1 smokin’-hot grill – preferably charcoal

Place corn, pablanos, onion, and garlic on the grill. Grill corn until is speckled with black. Remove and allow to cool. Grill onion until there are black grill marks on the cut side. Allow the pablanos to grill until the skin is black and well, charred all over, turning as necessary. Remove garlic. Wrap pablanos in plastic film or place in a plastic bag. Allow to rest until cool enough to handle. The skins will steam in the plastic and slip right off. Cut kernels of corn from the cobs and place kernels in a medium bowl. Dice onions. Place in bowl. Smash garlic and mince. Add to bowl. Remove pablanos from plastic, wipe away charred skin with a paper towel, remove seeds and stem. Chop pablano into medium cubes or strips. Add to


bowl. Add tomatoes, prepared grain and cheese. Toss well. In a separate bowl whisk together lime juice, oil, hot sauce, herb, spices, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over corn mixture and toss well. Allow to rest, covered at room temperature for flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature. * To prepare the garlic, I like to make a little bowl out of aluminum foil, just large enough to hold the garlic cloves. I set this directly on the grill while the rest of the vegetables are cooking.

If you’re older than me, are a Bermuda beach bum or a sailor, you’ve probably heard of a Dark and Stormy. And if you’re looking for the perfect spicy, summer cocktail, look no further. I discovered the Dark and Stormy last

summer only to find that it’s been around for, well, since before I was born. Traditionally made with Gosling’s Black Seal

Bermuda black rum and Barrit’s ginger beer, I’ve experimented with different brands including ginger beers that do and don’t contain alcohol. Fortunately for the purists out there, Gosling’s also now makes a ginger beer specifically created to complement their traditional Black Seal rum. I love the Dark and Stormy because it’s quite spicy yet very refreshing and not too sweet. It pairs beautifully with food, and I don’t find that with many cocktails. I’ve been using Captain Morgan’s private stock spiced rum in place of the Goslings. I like Goya ginger non-alcoholic as well as

Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer for the ginger beer component.

Dark and Stormy

Serves 21 12-ounce bottle ginger beer 1 lime, rolled and halved2 ounces spiced rum

Fill two highball glasses with ice. Add juice from half a lime and 2 ounces rum to each glass. Split ginger beer between glasses and give it a quick stir. Enjoy.

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Photos by Valarie Carter

Spicy wines for your liking:• Velvet Sledgehammer — Shiraz, Langhorne Creek, WA• Triumph Cellars — Zinfandel, Napa Valley, CA• Ridge Zinfandel — try them all – they are beautiful, California

Tip: Though Gewürztraminer isn’t a spicy wine, it pairs beautifully with your favorite spicy Asian dishes.

42 SUMMER 2013


44 SUMMER 2013

food & drink

By Melony CareyThe Cook’s Pantry

Cooking for Friends in a Historic House in Founders’ Place

Conviviality and good conversation are what you will find in the old Lynch house

on 14th Street in Muskogee. Kathryn Burke, who grew up in the house and lives there today, believes that good ideas, like good food, are to be shared with friends. “I love to have my friends over to eat outside,” Burke said. “My parents started the tradition when we were young, and my husband and I continued it when we moved back here.” Burke, who met and married her husband, Pat, in England, had an adventuresome spirit that has given her a broad perspective on life and people. All along the way, food has played an important part in the adventure. She and her twin sister, Marion, moved to New York in the 1950s, intent on working in the advertising industry. They found an apartment in the Hotel Iroquois, next to the famed Algonquin, and had to eat out

every night in Times Square. The twins soon tired of restaurant food and found a sublet that had a small kitchen. Kathryn, who worked in the education division of McGraw-Hill, had access to the first Betty Crocker cookbook published by the firm for high school home economics classes. “I could read it every day as part of my job,” Burke said. “And go out to the Italian and Greek markets between Eighth and Ninth Streets to get all the ingredients.” From then on, Kathryn’s adventure into food grew into a quest for more sophisticated fare that included snails, rabbit,

steak tartare, paella and many of the quintessential recipes so evocative of the era. “We got snails,” Burke recalled. “But we didn’t know how to cook them, so we called up the New York Times, whose food writers worked late into the night, and they gave us the method, which called for lots of garlic and butter.” Burke recalls having great food in England, abounding in fresh produce and meats. “We did not have a refrigerator, so it was necessary to go to the market almost every day.” Burke said. Upon their return to Muskogee, husband Pat did

most of the cooking, walking to nearby neighborhood stores for fresh ingredients. “Something I have noticed is the proliferation of fresh foods,” Burke said. “We can get them at Smokehouse Bob’s or the Farmers’ Market very easily, as well as other places around town.” Now that Burke cooks primarily for herself, she focuses on fruits and vegetables, yogurt and cottage cheese, which she often eats on the covered porch. For the last 15 years, she also has focused on stewardship of Founders’ Place Historical District, where her home is located.

The exterior of the house as it looked in 1909. Burke’s father added the brick wall and gar-den enclosure.


SUBMITTED PHOTO


food & drink

Only two families have lived on the property — the Burkes and the renovator of the original two-room farmhouse, General Marion Swanson, who served as one of the marshals in the 1907 State Day Parade. Swanson did everything he could to turn the farmhouse into a beautiful home, adding the second floor, two staircases, and dormer windows. When the Lynches bought the house in 1939, Kathryn’s father built a dollhouse for the twins, which she recently donated to Three Rivers Museum. “Houses are to live in,” Burke said. “And you can get very sentimental about a house. I think you need to realize what makes you comfortable and then live in it.” For the engaging Mrs. Burke that comfort always includes good food and good friends. Here Kathryn shares a couple of her favorite recipes for summer patio dining.

Kathryn’s Seafood Pasta Salad

1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined1 pound raw salmonolive oil¹/₂ cup white wine1 lemon4 cups shell macaroni, medium sized, cooked al dente 1 medium green pepper, diced1 slice of onion, finely chopped4-5 tablespoons capers¹/₂ cup Italian salad dressing

³/₄ cup mayonnaiseSpinach leaves, washed, for garnish

Boil shrimp about 4-5 minutes until “shrimp colored.” Sauté salmon in a little olive oil, about 10 minutes per side (scrape off black skin). Finish cooking about five more minutes in ¹/₂ cup white wine. Mix shrimp and crumbled salmon with juice of a lemon. Cool pasta after cooking and then mix with fish mixture, green pepper, onion, capers, Italian dressing and mayo. Add more of each dressing if salad seems too dry. Best if left to marinate overnight. Garnish with spinach leaves, if desired. A great salad for summer.

Lemon Bars1 cup butter or margarine2 ¹/₄ cups all purpose flour2 cups sugar4 eggs2 teaspoons grated lemon peel¹/₂ cup fresh lemon juice3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Heat over to 350 degrees. In medium bowl mix 2 cups flour, ¹/₂ cup sugar, and butter. Press into bottom of ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes until edges start to brown. In medium bowl mix remaining ¹/₄ cup flour and 1 ¹/₂ cups sugar. Add eggs, lemon peel and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined. Pour over crust. Bake 18-22 minutes longer until center is set and edges are golden brown. When cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars and serve.

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Conviviality and conversation accompany good food. Here Kathryn serves seafood pasta salad with tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market.

46 SUMMER 2013

How to console a sick or grieving friend

Gracious Me!

Q: It seems that I never know what to do or say when

a friend is ill or has lost a loved one. Can you help?

A: Unfortunately, all of us will encounter situations when

we are at a loss for words and actions. Cards can be just as welcome as a visit. Be sure to write a personal note. You might also include an interesting article from a magazine or newspaper. Always put your return address on the envelope, as the person may have moved to another hospital or have been released. Home visits require a phone call before going. Be aware that when you are told “you don’t need to do that,” the person may not want visitors. Be sensitive to their needs and wishes. When your friend is in the hospital try to find out from a family member if the person feels like having visitors. You could call or stop by the nurse’s desk before going to the patient’s room. The nurses will know if the person is ready for visitors. Be sure to obey the hospital visiting hours. Don’t stay longer than 10 minutes. If the person is very ill or there are already several people in the room you may want to stay five minutes or less. Many feel they must take something when going to visit a patient in the hospital. It is

certainly not a necessity, but is very thoughtful. My sister was in the hospital several years ago, and a dear friend brought her a small basket of raspberries from her own garden. The berries were just enough for a snack in the afternoon or dessert that evening. What a welcome break from hospital food! You might also bring flowers from your garden or a book that you enjoyed. Packaged snacks for

family members are a great idea. Upon arriving at the hospital, check the waiting room on the patient’s floor. If family members or friends are there take it as a sign to limit the time of your visit in the patient’s room. Family members who are sitting with a critically ill patient may enjoy your visit as much or more than the person who is ill. However, be aware that if the person is close to death the family may not feel like having visitors. Please respect their privacy. You have probably heard it said that “just being there” for someone is enough. That may or may not be true. Silence can

be awkward. Family members should not feel like they need to entertain visitors or even to keep a conversation going. So, what do you say? It definitely depends on the situation. If a person is recovering from surgery or an accident wish them a speedy recovery. Don’t ask for details. Only relate stories of people in similar circumstances if the outcome was positive and the

story is short. If the patient is very ill simply let them know that you are thinking about them. You may ask a family member or the patient if there is anything that you can do or tell them that you are praying for them. Guidelines for visiting members of the bereaved family are much the same. Limit your visit. Family members may need rest or may have important things to do. Refuse all offers of food or drink. The family is just trying to be polite. Make eye contact. Saying you are sorry that their loved one has passed is enough. Keeping silent to avoid an

emotional moment is not a good idea. It is more important to convey your feelings. It is not helpful to say that you know how they feel or to share your own grieving/loss story. However, relating an incident about the person that will brighten their day is always encouraged. When my father passed away an old friend related a funny story at the graveside about him. After telling it to the rest of my family we laughed all the way home. It was wonderful to hear a light story of such a serious man. Little things can make a huge difference in someone’s day. There are other things that you can do that could mean as much as a visit. We always think of taking food but too much can be troublesome for the family. Take paper goods to the family, i.e., napkins, paper towels and paper plates. You can cut the grass, water or weed the flower beds or run errands for the family. Any gesture will be appreciated. It’s not really what you say but what you do. One last thing to remember is that most of us need the touch of a good friend. It’s a way of showing true concern. Not all of us like to be hugged, but we do respond to a pat on the back or arm. It can do wonders for a person’s day. The main thing to remember when calling or visiting the sick or bereaved is to put yourself in the other person’s place. Small gestures can go a long way. 2

“Family members who are sitting with a critically ill patient may enjoy your

visit as much or more than the person who is ill.”


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Green Country Living, Summer 2013